Tea party supporters urge county to oppose UN's Agenda 21 and gun control

Published: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 5:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 5:00 p.m.

Local tea party enthusiasts on Tuesday encouraged the Marion County Commission to voice opposition to two of the activists' pet peeves: the United Nations' Agenda 21 and gun control.

First up was Sparr resident Steve Hunter, who asked the board to ratify a resolution opposing Agenda 21, the UN's 300-page report, unveiled at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, that spells out proposals for tackling a number of environmental matters.

Hunter's proposed resolution referred to Agenda 21 as a “plan of extreme environmentalism, social engineering and global political control,” whose “destructive and insidious” concept was to undermine private property rights, to include owning a home and a car, under the guise of “sustainable development.”

Hunter's document, which he read aloud, advocated that the board not only reaffirm its support for private property rights, but also publicly state its opposition to the policies of Agenda 21.

That would include not sending county employees to any “green” training rooted in concepts like “sustainability,” “smart growth,” or “Future Earth,” and terminating within a year or rejecting any future federal or state grants that appear under the same umbrellas.

In a related request, Summerfield resident Roger Knechtel urged the board to publicly support the Second Amendment.

Commissioners could do so by passing his proposed resolution and pledging to nullify any federal law, executive order, or regulation deemed to conflict with the “true meaning and intent” of the Second Amendment.

“We have to take a stand,” Knechtel told the commission.

But Minter, the county attorney, objected, saying the board's taking such a position could expose the county to “quite a bit of legal problems.”

He noted that state and local governments are bound by the U.S. Constitution to submit to rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court.

“If we here in Marion County decide that we think somebody else's interpretation of the Constitution is different than ours, (that) we're going to do what we want to do, the government doesn't work that way,” said Minter.

The attorney pointed out that he himself is a member of the National Rifle Association, and while he understood that gun control is an “emotional” issue, he added, “You can't respond to an emotional issue that you think is at one extreme by going to the other extreme.”

He suggested that by adopting the resolution the commission would create the expectation that the county would act on it, and land repeatedly in court litigating federal gun laws it doesn't approve of. Better instead, he said, that the board make its disagreement know by appeals to its congressional delegation.

<p>Local tea party enthusiasts on Tuesday encouraged the Marion County Commission to voice opposition to two of the activists' pet peeves: the United Nations' Agenda 21 and gun control.</p><p>First up was Sparr resident Steve Hunter, who asked the board to ratify a resolution opposing Agenda 21, the UN's 300-page report, unveiled at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, that spells out proposals for tackling a number of environmental matters.</p><p>Hunter's proposed resolution referred to Agenda 21 as a “plan of extreme environmentalism, social engineering and global political control,” whose “destructive and insidious” concept was to undermine private property rights, to include owning a home and a car, under the guise of “sustainable development.”</p><p>Hunter's document, which he read aloud, advocated that the board not only reaffirm its support for private property rights, but also publicly state its opposition to the policies of Agenda 21.</p><p>That would include not sending county employees to any “green” training rooted in concepts like “sustainability,” “smart growth,” or “Future Earth,” and terminating within a year or rejecting any future federal or state grants that appear under the same umbrellas.</p><p>In a related request, Summerfield resident Roger Knechtel urged the board to publicly support the Second Amendment.</p><p>Commissioners could do so by passing his proposed resolution and pledging to nullify any federal law, executive order, or regulation deemed to conflict with the “true meaning and intent” of the Second Amendment.</p><p>“We have to take a stand,” Knechtel told the commission.</p><p>But Minter, the county attorney, objected, saying the board's taking such a position could expose the county to “quite a bit of legal problems.”</p><p>He noted that state and local governments are bound by the U.S. Constitution to submit to rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court.</p><p>“If we here in Marion County decide that we think somebody else's interpretation of the Constitution is different than ours, (that) we're going to do what we want to do, the government doesn't work that way,” said Minter.</p><p>The attorney pointed out that he himself is a member of the National Rifle Association, and while he understood that gun control is an “emotional” issue, he added, “You can't respond to an emotional issue that you think is at one extreme by going to the other extreme.”</p><p>He suggested that by adopting the resolution the commission would create the expectation that the county would act on it, and land repeatedly in court litigating federal gun laws it doesn't approve of. Better instead, he said, that the board make its disagreement know by appeals to its congressional delegation.</p><p><i>- Bill Thompson</i></p>